In bloom
by Violetta Jones
Summary: Levi is only human. He can't resist the radiance.


_Late entry for the Summer 2017 ereri week (day 8 : bonus day)._

 _This was originally written for day 5 prompt (omegaverse AU). I usually wouldn't touch omegaverse with a 10ft pole, because I'm vanilla as fuck (not judging anyone though, to each their own and all that jazz; it's just really not for me), but I wanted to challenge myself and write in a genre I don't like._

 _Since omegaverse and most related tropes are major squick for me, I had to twist the whole concept around a lot to make it work. I think I twisted too hard. This is the result._

 _On a side note, I'm writing a longer fic for this pairing, and I'm looking for a beta reader. You can PM me on tumblr (I'm violettajones there as well) if you're interested._

* * *

Eren was brooding. His frowning eyebrows cast deep shadows, as dark as his thoughts, over his bright green eyes. There had been anger there at first. Anger at the forced confinement, at the prodding and probing he was forced to endure. Anger at being separated from his loved ones.

Nowadays, he looked mostly defeated. Oh, of course, the anger would resurface, every once in a while. He would start pacing restlessly within the confines of his small two rooms apartment, looking ready to take on the world. But he couldn't, and his anger would turn into frustration, into desperation, and finally, into resignation.

He would lie on his single bed for a bit, fidgeting nervously with whatever he could put his hands on. He would sit in the chair facing the only window in the room, stare at the painted meadow through the glass and sigh. He would stay there for hours.

There were no actual windows in there. Only painted walls to give the illusion of an outside.

Levi had been tasked with taking care of Eren, which included his renewed company. It was ironic, really. Levi had chosen to work with plants because he lacked the basic skills to interact with human beings. And now, he had to use those nonexistent social skills along with the ones he'd cultivated for years to take care of… what was Eren again?

"A human-plant hybrid," Hanji had said, eyes skimming through a thick stack of printed paper. "Well, to be honest, we don't know for sure yet. He looks mostly human, but part of his genetic material is _plantae_. We're still trying to determine the proportions."

"And what am I supposed to do," Levi had said, "with some kid that looks human but is neither that nor the grass he supposedly came from? Water him?"

"You're the botanist here. I'm a neuroscientist. I study humans, not plants. That's why you've been assigned to this case. We need to work together here, because he's both."

"You and I are both fucking aware that this kid is really neither. We don't know shit about human shrubbery like him. He could be born from a potato, for all we know."

"Betula," Hanji had said, raising her eyes from the file she was studying. "The plant-like parts of his DNA are similar to a birch tree's."

* * *

Levi didn't know what to do anymore.

He only knew about plants, but human beings were mostly a mystery to him. From the start, he'd had to improvise. He'd made sure Eren was fed a healthy diet and insisted the kid drank lots of spring water. When that proved insufficient, he'd given him dietary supplements. He'd gotten the people in charge to invest in lamps that replicated the light of the sun, since they wouldn't let him stay in a place with actual windows. He'd even gotten him to bath in clean water infused with nutrients specially geared towards his specific type of tree.

It didn't seem to be enough.

Like people, plants liked being talked to, and Levi had figured that Eren was lonely. Even though he was terrible at it, Levi had started spending a lot of time with him, talking to him and listening in return.

He'd learned a lot about Eren in the months spent in his company. His father had left one day and never returned. His mother was dead. He lived with his adopted sister and childhood friend. They were his family. He missed them.

He liked reading, though probably not as much as his friend, who, in Eren's words, was a genius. He was frank to a fault, which had brought him trouble in the past. He disliked being coddled. It was probably the only reason he ever got into arguments with his sister, whom he loved despite her overly protective streak.

He hated it here and sometimes became very vocal about it. But he knew the stakes and didn't challenge his confinement. He knew his strange mutation meant that he was Humanity's only chance of survival in a dying world. Because of that, he had to be protected at all costs. Because of that, he had to be locked into the facility, to be studied.

His main complaint was that he wasn't allowed to contact his family.

"They don't even know I'm alive," he said one time. "I only want them to know I'm okay."

"It's for their protection just as much as yours," Levi had said. "Someone might try to harm them so they'll reveal your location."

Eren had remained silent for a while after that exchange. He stopped complaining about it from there on out.

His silence worried Levi more than his anger. Eren looked more and more like a wilting flower with each passing day and Levi didn't know what to do anymore. Eren had trouble sleeping, and his appetite plummeted. Levi hated seeing him like that. Eren wasn't a bad person. He certainly had moods, but he put up with tests and experiments admirably. He was never violent or abusive with the staff in spite of his obvious distaste towards most of them. He told Levi off, knowing that he was forced into a caretaker role by the unconventional circumstances.

When he wasn't subjected to series of tests, he spent most of his time reading. When Levi was around, they had long discussions. And sometimes, at Levi's insistence, he was allowed in the facility's greenhouse for a stroll.

Eren always looked a little brighter while in there, surrounded by greenery. But it didn't seem to make enough of a difference. As soon as he was back in his apartment, he started moping around again.

Levi usually went along, as well as a couple of the facility's employees that were really guards in civilian attire. The greenhouse was located in the impressive indoors patio within the building, underneath a large glass dome. If it didn't impede daylight at all to the human eye, Eren seemed to be able to tell the difference.

"They miss the outside," he told Levi once, looking at some rare type of heather, delicately brushing his knuckles against its tiny buds.

These were plants that had been grown here from seeds for the most part. Levi couldn't understand how they could remember – plants didn't have the apparatus to think, let alone have memories. But here was Eren, telling him that they were, somehow, talking to him.

"How can you tell?" he'd asked.

Eren, who was kneeling on the ground, looked up at him and offered a small, distant smile.

"I feel it," he said, eyes back on the small blue flowers. "I get sensations of wind, sun, moisture. They long for it. No images, though, probably because plants don't have eyes like us."

Eren's frown deepened.

"What?" Levi said.

Eren sighed.

"Listen to me talking about 'us'. I'm not even really human to begin with."

Levi didn't answer right away, glancing at their attentive companions. He knelt down in the dirt next to Eren. He hoped to provide some sort of comfort, but wouldn't be one to bet on his own abilities in that regard.

"You're more human than you think," he told Eren, examining the heather with deft hands. "Look at all the assholes in the world. At least, you're not one of them."

He spoke in a soft voice, meant to be heard only by them both.

Eren didn't look at him, and sighed.

"You're actually nice," he told Levi, something like concern in his voice.

Levi raised a questioning eyebrow. There was nothing nice about him, he knew that.

"I thought," Eren went on, "well… I don't know."

"You make no fucking sense," Levi said.

Eren's face relaxed in a rare smile, and more than his next words, it made something lurch in Levi chest.

"They like you," Eren said, gesturing towards the plants and small trees. "They like that you're stubborn."

Levi glared at the vegetation, ignoring the way his heart was pacing.

"How fucking nice of them."

"Tenacious, then," Eren said, undeterred. "They like it anyway."

He paused.

"Ah," he said, distractedly brushing his fingertips against a bougainvillea.

Surprise registered on his face - not exactly obvious, but by now, Levi knew him well enough to tell. Eren had fallen silent, suddenly looking subdued.

Levi looked at him, glancing towards the flowers before coming back to Eren's face.

"What."

Levi blinked when Eren glanced at him with what he thought was an almost coy look. He leaned towards Levi, something cautious about the way he moved, in the way his eyes met Levi's, almost delicate.

"They seem to think," he whispered, "that you like me too."

There was a ray of sunlight reflected in some glass pane, and it was falling on his face, giving his warm skin something like a radiant sheen. Eren averted his eyes after revealing the garden's secret, but Levi couldn't take his eyes off him.

That day, he kept staring for a time longer than social conventions deemed comfortable. The strangest thoughts went through his head then. That he did like this kid, which wasn't exactly surprising, though he hadn't admitted as much even to himself yet. He didn't know how the plants in the greenhouse could tell. It crossed his mind that he could kiss Eren right now, if it weren't for their attentive chaperons – and that was a surprise for sure. Where had that thought come from?

And later, when they were back in the small apartment and Eren's smile was long gone, he realized that he wanted to do more to bring that smile out again, even if it meant disobeying higher-ups.

That day, Levi decided that he'd eventually get Eren out of this place, even if it was only for a short time.

* * *

After the nightmares started, Levi sometimes stayed on site during the night to monitor Eren's sleep. He would stay awake, periodically checking on Eren during the night. Come morning, he'd be exhausted, despite never needing much sleep to function. He'd usually lie on the uncomfortable couch in the small living room and sleep the morning away.

One day, he woke up to a pair of green eyes watching him.

"What the fuck," he muttered, sitting up and blinking sleep from his eyes.

Eren was sitting on the floor next to the couch, arms around his legs. He was staring at Levi's face intently. It looked like he'd been watching him sleep. He could have been there for a while.

He leaned back when Levi sat up. They didn't speak for a while. Eren watched in silence as Levi threw his blanket aside and retrieved a water bottle from the fridge in the open kitchen. He drowned half of it in one go.

"Your face looks different when you sleep," Eren said after a while.

Levi wasn't awake enough to do more than raise an eyebrow at that. Mornings had never been his forte.

"Here," Eren said, pointing at the center of his own brow. "You look more relaxed. It makes you look younger."

Levi didn't have an answer. It was too early for that. He let out a short sigh. He had a lot to do today, and he'd be running on little energy.

"How did you sleep?" Levi asked.

"Fine," Eren said, shrugging.

It was a lie. Eren's sleep had been fitful, Levi knew for sure, because he'd been there all night long, watching.

"Try to take a nap later," he told Eren, his tone leaving no alternative. "Or at least, lie down for a while. Get some rest."

Eren watched him. There was a dubious look in his eyes when he looked away.

"Yes sir," he said.

* * *

Late that night, Levi woke him up. Eren was barely awake when they left the apartment. He remained silent as they walked along corridors, but he grabbed Levi's shoulder to stop him as they were going through the greenhouse.

"Where are we going?" he said.

They couldn't see the moon here. It was too low over the horizon, hidden by the buildings surrounding the patio. The light was subdued, barely enough for them to see where they were going.

Eren's face had retained a boyish quality, despite being well over twenty. He looked ethereal in the faint residue of moonlight.

Levi put a hand on Eren's arm and left it there. He felt like his heart was beating in his throat. He hoped his anxiety wasn't visible.

"We can't stop now," Levi whispered. "I'll explain later."

Eren seemed to stare right through him with these bright eyes of his that Levi could barely see in the darkness.

Levi couldn't tell how long they stood there like that. It was probably not much, but it seemed like lifetimes to him. Probably his nerves playing a trick on him.

Eren finally nodded, letting go of his shoulder and grabbing his hand instead. Levi held it in a firm grip, and they were once more advancing.

They crossed the main area to the opposite wall, where a small door was waiting for them. They went through it without a hitch.

On the other side was a narrow pathway between the greenhouse's glass wall and another, taller one, made of concrete. The walked a bit along the wall until they reached a metal door that had seen better days.

It was usually locked, but Hanji had assured him that it would be open that night. If it was closed, they would have to go back to the apartment where Eren was to be kept forever, with no chance of seeing the outside world in a long time. Maybe not ever again.

Levi put his hand on the doorknob, a lean, rusty thing made of something that looked like brass and spoke of ancient, different times. With a deep breath and more anxiety that he would care to admit, he gripped it and turned.

The door opened.

"Levi, you're squeezing too hard," Eren whispered.

All this time, he hadn't let go of Eren's hand. He hadn't noticed his grip had become that tight.

He relaxed his hand but didn't let go, pulling Eren through the door at at a brisk pace.

They were finally outside, but not out of trouble. The land surrounding the facility was still part of the surveillance area. They could still get caught. And there was not much vegetation, no woods to hide their mad dash for freedom anymore.

They ran through the land, paying attention to their surroundings, hiding behind rocks and bushes when the clouds parted to let the moon bathe the world in its light. Eren's usually tan complexion, rendered dull by the dim, cold light, looked like it would fit a corpse better than a living human made of flesh and blood.

They managed to reach the road on the opposite side of the barren field unscathed. Levi had parked his car a little bit further.

Eren, out of tiredness or maybe stress, was still silent when he sat in the passenger's seat.

They drove for a while before Levi broke the silence, finally feeling like he could breathe again.

"You don't wanna know where the fuck we're going anymore?"

Eren, who was staring at the road, turned his eyes towards Levi.

"We're leaving. I don't care where you're taking me," he said, lowering his eyes to his lap. "The plants in the greenhouse were sad to see you go."

Levi hummed in reply. He wasn't surprised anymore when Eren said weird things like that. Maybe he'd gotten used to it.

They fell silent again, and less than half an hour later, Eren was sleeping. Levi drove in the night, stopping only for twenty minutes in the early morning to charge his car. He'd rooted it and changed the serial number so they couldn't be traced.

Levi drove through the morning, and the landscape gradually changed from desolate stretches of land to some sort of moor interspersed with small patches of woodland, leftovers from war and indiscriminate farming. Eren woke up before noon, stomach growling. Levi had brought food and water for the next few days, unwilling to stop unless there was no alternative. Eren tore through a bag of chips, and nagged at Levi until he did the same. They soon were back on the road, Levi's eyes fixated on the horizon while Eren dozed off again.

When the shadows started stretching into dusk, Levi was reaching the end of his rope. His initial nervousness at the idea of rescuing Eren from confinement had taken a toll on him. It had been on the decrease the more distance they put between them and the facility. It wasn't enough to keep him awake anymore.

He stopped the car in the shadow of a larger grove, at the end of a small dirt path, away from roads and passersby. He let his head lean on the headrest. He was soon lulled to sleep by Eren's quiet breathing.

* * *

He woke up with a start in the morning. He knew where he was immediately – he wasn't the type to feel confused by unfamiliar surroundings right after waking up. The ratty but warm blanket he'd given Eren the previous day was bunched on his lap. Eren, who wasn't in the car with him anymore.

Levi didn't panic. Eren had probably gone for a piss, or maybe for a stroll after all the hours spent in the car yesterday. It should be okay. The people at the facility would have realized they were gone. If someone had been sent on their trail, they'd have caught up by now. But Levi was feeling unusually restless, even though he'd just woken up.

He threw the blanket aside and exited the car. Stretching his back, he looked up at the sky. There were no clouds. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It smelled like nature, green and fresh. The air was cool, but the sun warmed his skin. He surveyed his surroundings as he exhaled, and saw that Eren was nowhere to be seen. There wasn't much to see, really. There was a line of trees a little further, probably following a stream. The dirt path where he'd parked the car became a mere trail as it disappeared into the trees.

Everything was quiet. It was still early and he couldn't hear a sound, aside from the light breeze and the singing of some unseen birds. His strange feeling that had gotten hold of him earlier got stronger.

It was too quiet.

He was thirsty, so he retrieved a water bottle from the car and drank. When Eren wasn't back after a while, he decided to try and follow the path away from the road. He thought Eren couldn't have gone anywhere else.

He walked among trees, looking around for signs of Eren. The foliage wasn't exactly dense, but he couldn't see very far. He couldn't see much of the sky either. The singing of birds was louder here, but in the midst of small sounds – wind in the leaves, creaking branches, tiny paws and claws scampering away from the intruder – it seemed subdued. Here, between the trees, he could smell moss and dead leaves, filled with moisture from some recent downpour, slowly decaying into rich soil.

There was no sign of Eren, and it didn't help his uneasiness. Something was about to happen. He could feel it in his gut.

Levi stopped walking to look around where he stood. If he closed his eyes and listened carefully, he could hear another sound beneath the myriad of noises life in these woods made.

There was running water nearby.

He started walking again, unhurried. Soon, he came up to a small clearing, with a pond shaded from sunlight by overhanging trees.

Eren was there, his back towards Levi, standing knee deep in the clear, clean-looking water. He'd removed his shoes and put them on the ground nearby, socks neatly tucked inside. He'd rolled his jeans up, though he'd still managed to get them wet. As Levi entered the clearing, he leaned over to fill his cupped hands with water and splashed his face.

Levi found he couldn't take his eyes away.

Eren had also rolled the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows, showing off his tanned, well-shaped forearms. There were water droplets dripping from the tip of his hair when he stood upright again, staining the upper parts of his shirt darker. A ray of light was falling on him from between branches, and the water rolling down his skin was glistening like ethereal, live beads of light.

He didn't seem to notice he was being watched.

Eren's gestures were filled with contentment, a kind of simple happiness at being out, freed from tests and scientists, from walls, that Levi was loathe to interrupt. But the air was filled with something like anticipation. It made Levi feel on edge.

They needed to leave, the sooner the better.

A stronger gust of wind billowed through the foliage, strong enough that it drowned most sounds. It made his ears ring like white noise as he called Eren's name. He could barely hear his own voice.

Eren turned around. He hadn't seemed to notice Levi joining him in the clearing earlier, but he didn't look surprised as he turned around, didn't startle at his sudden appearance. His eyes fell on Levi as if he'd known that he was there before he'd even arrived, as if he'd been waiting for him all along. There was a subtle smile on his lips that seemed to be for Levi's eyes and no one else's.

Levi didn't mean to move, and yet his legs were leading him towards the pond were Eren was standing, unruly appendages rebelling against their unwitting owner. He felt queer, almost dizzy, weightless. The smell of warm sun on leaves, of fresh flowers, of spring and life in his lungs made him feel breathless. His whole body felt warm despite the cool weather. He could almost believe he was getting a fever, but he never got sick.

Everything felt different, uncanny, the sounds, shapes and colors fuzzy in his mind. Light, reflected in the white bark of trees, surrounded Eren in a soft glow. It shone brighter than he was used to after his stroll among the shade of the trees, almost hurting his eyes. And yet, he couldn't seem to close them, to separate himself from the scene unfolding before him.

Eren's shapely lips opened in a thin crescent that revealed a glimpse of shiny white teeth when his smile widened to greet him. He stepped out of the pond, came closer. Levi noticed, not for the first time, that despite their distinct masculine thinness, the middle part of Eren's lips was plump, ripe with blood as if he'd just been biting them, youthful. They were moist and glistening with pond water. It was an inviting sight that Levi wanted to kiss more than he ever had.

"Levi," Eren said.

His voice was quiet, almost a whisper, drowned in the sounds of nature, and devastating like gale.

Levi stood, silent. The smell of flowers and leaves was becoming stronger, filling his lungs and making his breath short. Something strange was happening, deep within him, different from anything he'd ever felt before. What had brought the uncanny weightlessness, on this bright morning where there was nothing between them and the sky but green leaves and the singing of birds, he didn't know. He didn't even know what it was, and he wanted to submit to it.

Eren's skin, still wet, had taken on an olive sheen from the leaves around them, reminiscent of moss reflected in water, which contrasted with the mirror-like sunshine cast back by the trees' white bark. Levi, transfixed, watched a larger drop of water fall from Eren's chin. It landed on his clavicle and flowed down until it disappeared into the fabric of his shirt. Levi wanted to follow its path with his mouth.

It wasn't unexpected, the rational part of his mind reminded him, still going despite the daze he found himself in. Levi had been fascinated, enticed with Eren from the beginning. Thoughts of touching him, of kissing him – fleeting, as he wouldn't let himself consider acting upon them, minding their situation – had been there for a while. He'd always been able to reign the impulses in. Maybe they'd never been that strong.

But here, in this meadow where they were standing, something was compelling him to reconsider. There was something affecting him, in that moment, making him more receptive to suppressed desires. There was nothing here to stop them from blooming, nothing but the cloudless, endless sky.

When he glanced up to meet Eren's eyes, they looked brighter than ever despite the soft shade of the trees above them.

"Levi," Eren said again.

He'd barely whispered, but they were so close to each other now that Levi caught the sound his name made between Eren's tongue and teeth with absolute clarity. When had they gotten this close?

Eren wasn't much taller than him, but he seemed to fill his vision, obfuscating the sky as he leaned towards Levi. From this close, Levi could smell him, human scent mixing with the surrounding nature. Eren smelled like musk, wet leaves and fresh rain. He smelled of spring and life.

He wanted to say something, to make Eren aware that they should both step back, think this over, and maybe it was a better idea to talk about it first. But there were solid hands on his upper arms, brushing up his shoulders. There was white noise in his ears, and blinding eyes peering into his, fluttering shut as Eren leaned closer.

Levi couldn't resist the radiance.

Their kiss was a mere brush of lips at first, tentative, cautious, as if diving head first into it would consume them, burn them to ashes in a moment. It worked well with the feeling of weightlessness Levi was under since he'd come into the clearing. Yet his blood was flowing strong, like a river flooding during spring thaw, heart beating loud in his ears. He gripped Eren's wrists in a light hold, as if afraid to break them, to anchor himself. He felt like he was going to fall up the sky.

When nothing seemed to happen more than a little breathlessness, Eren fit his lips close against Levi's, applying tentative pressure. They were almost frozen in place, motions small and smooth, subtle.

It was so simple, so little, yet it was all too much.

They were both short of breath when they parted. Eren's pupils were blown out wide, only leaving a thin band of green around them. There was a peculiar gleam in them.

They stared at each other for a while, silent. Little by little, something unfolded within Levi. He wanted more.

He wanted so much more.

They collided with one another in a much more intense kiss, Levi's eager lips parting against Eren's cool ones. The smell of leaves was overwhelming, and realization hit Levi then, like the spike of want that lanced through him. It was spring. It was all because of spring. But the thought was lost when Eren's arms traveled down, past his arms, and circled his waist and shoulders to bring him close.

Levi needed them to be closer still.

His hands found Eren's side, and he let them wander, drifting up his back and down, cupping his backside and bringing his hips to press against his. He felt Eren's hard cock, trapped between them through their clothes, and sighed into their kiss.

They couldn't get close enough.

The feeling of weightlessness intensified as Levi let himself be maneuvered to lie on the grass. He found himself between Eren's arms, vaguely aware of the renewed distance between them as they exchange a charged look. He disliked the distance, but it was necessary for him to drag Eren's shirt aside, out of his jeans, and get access to smooth, tanned skin. Why wasn't Eren kissing him more?

"Levi," Eren said, his voice a mere whisper.

Levi didn't know when he'd closed his eyes, but what he saw when he opened them made his hands still.

Eren's brow was pinched, and he was biting his lower lip. He'd closed his eyes. He was shivering.

Levi raised a hand to brush stray locks away from Eren's face.

"What's wrong?"

Eren opened his eyes. He looked almost feverish.

"What's happening to us?" he asked.

Eren's hair was thick and wet between Levi's fingers.

"I don't know," he said, voice barely above a whisper. "But it's okay."

I'm okay with it, he wanted to say, but he felt dizzy with want and his phrasing wasn't the best. He could only hope Eren understood.

His fingers tangled with Eren's hair. He wanted to bring him closer, but he didn't. As far gone as he was, he needed Eren to want this. It would be meaningless to take the plunge if Eren wasn't there with him.

"Is it really okay?" Eren asked, as if sensing Levi's concern.

He'd seemed so sure moments before. Levi let his thumb brush under Eren's lashes. There was moisture there, left over from his dip in the pond. Levi wanted to ease every single last of Eren's worry like he'd wiped away the water from under his eyes.

"It's okay," he said, putting as much certainty into his voice as he could. "Isn't it?"

Eren leaned into Levi's hand and closed his eyes. He sighed.

"It's always been okay," he simply said.

The wave of emotions following Eren's words was overwhelming. It felt like something was blooming in Levi's chest. Did Eren mean that? Did he even understand the implications of what he'd just said? Because his words weren't implying just lust on a spring morning. They spoke of feelings, wholesome and true, precious and delicate, that had taken their time blossoming into something which looked like love, bestowed upon him like a gift, a treasure nobody had ever given him before.

Spring lay forgotten, a mere detail.

Was it all right, really, to accept this gift with open arms, when he didn't know what Eren meant with any kind of certainty? When he seemed so unsure of his feelings? Levi wasn't even sure about his own.

With gentleness he didn't know he was capable of, he ran a finger along Eren's jaw, dry and soft now that the water had evaporated, and came to a decision.

It was easy to overturn Eren, as if that small moment of doubt had used up whatever fight he had in him. As he straddled him, Levi took in the sight before him. Eren's wet hair was disheveled, shirt falling at his sides, eyes hazy with want. His skin still had that greenish hue, which Levi would think, later, wasn't just a trick of the light.

Levi leaned forwards, eager, and kissed Eren like drinking water after days in the desert. Eren was pliant under Levi's hands. He gasped into the kiss when Levi settled into his lap, squirming until they were touching in a way that did nothing to disguise how much they wanted each other.

Eren's body felt warm under Levi's. He wanted to stay there forever, but he was growing desperate for any kind of pressure on his cock, which was straining against the fabric of his jeans. He slowly ground their hips together, and heard Eren sigh.

When they parted, Levi dipped down and sucked on Eren's neck right below the ear. He felt Eren's hands slide down his back to grip his rear, bringing him closer. The pressure was becoming too much, yet it was not enough through the layers of clothing they were both wearing.

One of Eren's hand brushed up his side, fitting comfortably on his waist. When his other hand sneaked between them, rubbing at his cock through his clothes, Levi scooted back a little to give him room. Eren started unfastening Levi's pants, one button at a time, maddeningly slow. When he finally got into Levi's underwear and took his cock in his hand, his touch fleeting, Levi thought he would come.

Somehow, he didn't. He sighed and pressed against Eren's hand, seeking more friction.

He busied himself with the buttons of Eren's jeans. Their position made it hard to pull them down, but he didn't want to move far enough from Eren to remove them entirely. Eren's cock was leaking, the tip gleaming with moisture. Levi wanted to put his mouth on it, wanted to worship every inch of Eren's body like it deserved, but there would be time for that later, hopefully. Instead, he gently tugged at Eren's cock with light fingers, adjusting his grip and going for slow stroking when he was rewarded with a soft moan. Every sound Eren was making had his heart swelling and his cock throbbing.

Eren was finally touching him like he meant it, his rhythm slow but steady, but it wasn't enough. Levi wanted more contact, more of Eren. He brought their cocks together, until Eren held them both in a loose grip. He left his own hand there, showing Eren the rhythm and pressure he liked.

Eren soon started tilting his hips against both their hands, breathing labored. Levi, who was thrusting in earnest to match Eren's small motions, knew none of them was going to last.

Eren looked just as overwhelmed as Levi felt.

Already, their rhythm was faltering. Eren's free hand was clutching at Levi's hip, thumb brushing obliviously on the sensitive skin there. Levi had to slow him down to revel in the sensations. He was going to come soon. He laid his head on Eren's shoulder, mouth against his skin, and let out a shaky sigh. That seemed to be too much for Eren, whose hips twitched as he came, covering their joined hands in translucent wetness.

Levi slowed down then, knowing that Eren would soon become too sensitive to go on. But Eren's hand wasn't stopping. In fact, he was still hard, and picking up the pace. He added more pressure around the hand holding them both, making his grip stronger, and moaned. Levi leaned back a little to watch his face. It didn't seem like he was in pain, or even like he wanted to stop. Quite the opposite, actually.

Possibly sensing he was being watched, Eren looked back – long, dark eyelashes fluttering against tanned cheekbones glowing almost green in the meadow's soft light, opening on glassy eyes where the sky was reflected. He held Levi's gaze, eyelids heavy with want and a gleam of something else. His fingers held tighter.

"Levi," he said, eyebrows scrunched in a blissful expression as he came again, and it was enough.

Levi's eyes closed on their own, his whole body stiffening as the pace of his thrusts became erratic. He came with Eren's name a whisper on his lips.

He let his head fall back onto Eren's clavicle, breathless and unable to move a single inch. He could feel Eren's arms snake around his shoulders and hold him close, his lips kissing his temple, his hair.

"Levi," Eren's voice was mumbling in his ear, "you're amazing, I love you so much, I love you –"

He kept whispering sweet nothings, but Levi wasn't really listening, eyes closed, feeling completely dazed in the afterglow. He could hear them though, and stored them for later. Yet another thing they would have to talk about.

His whole body felt light.

When he opened his eyes, he was still in Eren's arms.

Eren had a hand in Levi's hair, absentmindedly looking at the sky. He noticed when Levi shifted, abandoning the sky above to look at him instead, a smile lighting his whole face up.

Levi felt weirdly cherished. It was a strange feeling, but one he thought he could grow accustomed to.

"I think you blacked out for a moment here," Eren said instead.

And here he was, being romantic.

"You little shit," Levi said, though his words were too slurred to hold any kind of actual irritation.

Eren's smile widened. He leaned closer to kiss Levi on the lips. It was chaste, and loving, and more than Levi had ever asked for.

When they parted, Eren was frowning.

"What do you think happened? I mean..."

He trailed off, looking uncertain.

Levi groaned. They'd just had wild, mind blowing sex. The kid had told him he loved him. And he was getting embarrassed now?

"Does it really matter?" he said. "It happened," he added before Eren could retort, tugging at his hair gently, "and I can't say I mind."

Eren was staring at him, searching Levi's eyes. He seemed to find what he was looking for, because he smiled and kissed him again.

After some time and as much kissing as he could cram into it, Levi extricated himself from Eren's arms. He didn't really want to, but they had to leave. They'd lost enough time as it was.

"So," Eren said, trying to tame his hair and failing spectacularly, "where are we going?" He snickered. "Are we eloping?"

Levi, who was putting his clothes into order, paused for a bit. Eren's laughter, even small like this and just like his smile, was something he wanted more of.

"Is that what you want?" he said.

Eren had a small, wistful smile on his lips as he stood and came closer.

"I wouldn't mind," he said. "If you'll have me."

Levi felt the corner of his mouth lifting in spite of himself.

"Then let's go," he said.

He took Eren's hand in his and led him back to the car. He was still smiling.

* * *

Years later, many, many years, they tried to come back to this place, but they couldn't find the grove. Where the small patch of woods and the surrounding wasteland used to be stood a forest.

* * *

 _I still dislike omegaverse like there's no tomorrow, but I have to admit I understand some of the appeal now. Hot, totally unrealistic smut? Weird biology? What the fuck is biology anyway, and who cares?_


End file.
